Highway 192 used to be exceptionally plain. It was lined by weed-filled ditches, with no sidewalks and poor lighting. It was drab.

So the property owners voted to tax themselves $29 million to make the roadway safer and prettier.

“Look at it today,” says Lizasuain. “We have 10-foot sidewalks on both sides of the road. We have bicycle paths, well-lit bus shelters, information-filled kiosks. And that’s not even mentioning the beautiful landscaping that we have out here.”

Trees Vs. Billboards

The landscaping included 360 palms, 300 oleanders and 1,400 loquats, among other trees. But as the county made these improvements several years ago, some people were not happy.

“We alerted [the county] that … we’ve got a problem,” recalls Craig Swygert. He heads the Orlando division of Clear Channel Outdoor, which owns billboards along Highway 192.

“The billboards were there first, and the trees started popping up, and they were done so in a way that they would block the view of the billboard,” he says. He argued that by planting the trees where it did, the government was acting unfairly. “It’s like, ‘Hey, we’re going to give you a permit to be in business, but then we’re going to take it away after you’ve already invested all this money.’”

Clear Channel and other billboard companies complained that beautification projects on a number of Florida roads threatened their business, so they lobbied the state Legislature for protection.

Who Controls The View?

The public outcry wasn’t just about trees. It was about a larger issue: Who gets to control the view? Why should a private industry dictate what the public sees on a public highway?

“The issue of billboard companies seeking to cut down public trees is something that’s happening all over the country,” says Bill Jonson, who serves on the board of the advocacy group Scenic America.

Jonson calls this industry lobbying effort inappropriate — “because they’re public trees” — but it has been effective. Several states now have laws that give billboards precedence over beautification projects, and those laws often leave local communities powerless to save their trees.

Read the rest: In Florida, Billboards Trump Trees : NPR

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Business Owners, Customers Upset Over Controversial Billboard

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — It looked harmless enough, but the words on a billboard unnerved so many people that a popular restaurant nearby actually lost business. The billboard was on Colonial Drive near Old Cheney Highway.

Although the popular Straub’s Seafood restaurant often advertises on it, it wasn’t their billboard. The sign was taken down after Channel 9 started asking questions.

The billboard came down around 4:00 Friday afternoon and nearby business owners are relieved. Straub’s Restaurant can replace the sign with the night’s specials.

At first glance, the sign looked like a children’s cartoon, but the message next to the fairy princess stirred emotions.

“When you condemn all religions and say they are a fairytale, that is wrong,” said Rich Stormes, a nearby business owner. The billboard went up a week before Easter and business at the restaurant went down.

“Easter Sunday is usually a busy good day,” said John Russel, an employee at Straub’s. “Easter Sunday business was down by two-thirds.”

Since the sign is so close, John Russel’s customers thought the restaurant paid for the billboard. To clear any confusion up, Russel put up a sign of his own and called MediaNet, the company who owns the billboard.

“It’s been causing us some problems. I think it’s causing a bit of controversy city-wide. People have been contacting the media,” Russel added.

MediaNet said it had no idea the sign was there and someone put it up illegally in the middle of the night. (my emphasis -SL) Nearby business owners said they weren’t buying it.

“They should have known what was going up on the billboard. He should proof it. He had to proof it,” Stormes stated.

The billboard rents for $1,400 a month. If an anti-religious group paid to rent it legitimately, there is no telling how long it would have been up.

Orange County does not regulate messages on billboards. They are protected by free speech. (If you can get the corporation who owns the billboard to post your content -SL)

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